After her excellent and emotive cover of Candi Staton's 'Young Hearts Run Free', Maz O'Connor has released a lovely follow up single 'Wasteland'. It's the sister song and tells the second half of the story. 

My ‘Young Hearts/Wasteland’ release is offering two sides to my music. My cover of ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ is me interpreting a classic song endeavouring to find something new in it. Someone else’s story, my voice. It’s a song I’ve loved for years, but I never really heard the words until recently. I covered it because I felt I could add something, a new take, a different way of relating to a song we usually hear on the dancefloor. ‘Wasteland’ is my own original, and explores a conflicted relationship with a city, parallel to a conflicted personal relationship, and one with the cycle of the seasons.

I’m releasing them one after the other because they speak to each other. Lyrically they both explore the complexities of relationships, of feeling wedded to something, of wondering whether love has been wasted, and the bittersweet regret that comes with that. They’re both a reflection on time, individuality, freedom. Musically, they exist in the same landscape for me. Stripped back to vocals and piano so that I can really expose the heart of the songs, with Wasteland introducing a shifting layer of metallic beats underneath, and some beautifully dramatic strings undulating throughout. Maz x

‘Young Hearts Run Free’ is released on April 28th, ‘Wasteland’ is released May 12th. The short film accompanying both songs is also released on May 12th.

Maz has a residency (+special guests) at The Harrison on the 14th and 28th June and the 12th July.

http://www.mazoconnor.com